Joey Bosa capable of spark Chargers need

In his first NFL game, the Chargers rookie Joey Bosa had two sacks and three tackles for a loss, leading Union-Tribune sportswriters Kevin Acee and Michael Gehlken to believe that Bosa's play should help the Chargers triumph over the Denver Broncos Thursday night.

In his first NFL game, the Chargers rookie Joey Bosa had two sacks and three tackles for a loss, leading Union-Tribune sportswriters Kevin Acee and Michael Gehlken to believe that Bosa's play should help the Chargers triumph over the Denver Broncos Thursday night.

Joey Bosa lowered Sunday into a three-point stance, his right hand in the ground while his left arm swayed like a clock pendulum, waiting on second-and-long. He was positioned outside Raiders right tackle Vadal Alexander, and he was coming.

The play began.

There Bosa went.

The defensive end sprinted forward, his attack angle perpendicular to the line of scrimmage despite his wide alignment. With his body square, he planted suddenly on his outside foot and cut inside. As Bosa dashed across Alexander’s body, the blocker hooked him to keep the rookie from disrupting a Derek Carr pass. The hold was missed. Bosa then peeled back, sprinted, and tackled wide receiver Amari Cooper 15 yards downfield.

In one play, there it was.

The Bosa era had begun.

By all accounts, the No. 3 overall draft pick had a stellar debut in Oakland. He’ll look to build on it Thursday evening against the Broncos. It is a short week, but the 21-year-old has the fresh legs for the turnaround. It’s clear after just one game what he means to this Chargers’ defense already.

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Beat writer Michael Gehlken and columnist Kevin Acee discuss the latest on Joey Bosa, Brandon Flowers and Jatavis Brown; plus, a look at Cam Newton and the challenge he poses for this Chargers defense.

Beat writer Michael Gehlken and columnist Kevin Acee discuss the latest on Joey Bosa, Brandon Flowers and Jatavis Brown; plus, a look at Cam Newton and the challenge he poses for this Chargers defense.

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Beat writer Michael Gehlken and columnist Kevin Acee discuss the latest on Joey Bosa, Brandon Flowers and Jatavis Brown; plus, a look at Cam Newton and the challenge he poses for this Chargers defense.

Beat writer Michael Gehlken and columnist Kevin Acee discuss the latest on Joey Bosa, Brandon Flowers and Jatavis Brown; plus, a look at Cam Newton and the challenge he poses for this Chargers defense.

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Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano talks about the challenge of facing Tennessee's quarterback, Marcus Mariota. Pagano also praised Bosa and his defense for Bosa being named Rookie of the Month.

Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano talks about the challenge of facing Tennessee's quarterback, Marcus Mariota. Pagano also praised Bosa and his defense for Bosa being named Rookie of the Month.

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After a week off for the bye, defensive end Joey Bosa spoke with the media following practice on Monday and talked about the last six games and losing fellow teammate Brandon Mebane for the season.

After a week off for the bye, defensive end Joey Bosa spoke with the media following practice on Monday and talked about the last six games and losing fellow teammate Brandon Mebane for the season.

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Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa leads more than 100 children in a Play 60 Junior Chargers Training Camp at Challenger Middle School in Mira Mesa as part of the NFL-United Way’s 18th annual Hometown Huddle program, a league-wide day of service during which NFL coaches, players and executives help members of their communities PLAY 60.

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa leads more than 100 children in a Play 60 Junior Chargers Training Camp at Challenger Middle School in Mira Mesa as part of the NFL-United Way’s 18th annual Hometown Huddle program, a league-wide day of service during which NFL coaches, players and executives help members of their communities PLAY 60.

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In his first NFL game, the Chargers rookie Joey Bosa had two sacks and three tackles for a loss, leading Union-Tribune sportswriters Kevin Acee and Michael Gehlken to believe that Bosa's play should help the Chargers triumph over the Denver Broncos Thursday night.

In his first NFL game, the Chargers rookie Joey Bosa had two sacks and three tackles for a loss, leading Union-Tribune sportswriters Kevin Acee and Michael Gehlken to believe that Bosa's play should help the Chargers triumph over the Denver Broncos Thursday night.

He is a difference-maker.

There was a challenge this week at Chargers Park. No one wanted to anoint Bosa too quickly. It was one game. The Pro Football Hall of Fame isn’t calling yet. Those at the facility know this.

But this was the debut the Chargers hoped to see, the debut Bosa predicted they’d see. No one on the team seemed surprised by it, least of all him.

Defensive coordinator John Pagano moved his new toy around, aligning him at defensive end and outside linebacker on both the left and right sides during his 27 defensive snaps. The result for Bosa was two sacks, one quarterback hit and four hurries to go with three tackles, including one for a loss.

His motor, technique and athleticism all were on display.

“I thought statistically, it was good,” Bosa said. “But I think there are a lot of things I can do a lot better, just myself watching. A lot of people won’t notice little things that I pay attention to when I’m watching myself. Just pass rushing. I think I can do better to get to the quarterback. It was my first game. I’m going to continue to get better. …

“I’m always confident. I think it’s important for anybody to be. I think you need to go into every game with the mind-set you’re going to have an impact on it. Obviously, I was hoping I was going to play well. I focused on what I could control, and that’s playing as hard as I could. The plays came to me.”

Maybe, so far, this is the most frustrating element of the Chargers’ season.

The flashes have been there.

The flashes were there in Week 1 when wide receiver Keenan Allen ran Marcus Peters, one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks, ragged. The flashes were there when the Chargers led Kansas City 24-3 in the third quarter that day, romped the Jaguars, or were in position to beat the Colts, Saints and even the Raiders the past three Sundays.

It is easy to imagine where his team could be, save some injuries and late-game collapses, with Bosa now in the mix. He could’ve provided an extra charge nearing the midpoint of a promising season.

Instead, Bosa is a man who can help them salvage it.

That is a lot to put on a rookie, but he is no ordinary one. That much was evident Sunday.

“I’ll just say this: I had a talk with Joey on Friday, and he was very confident about what he was going to do,” coach Mike McCoy said. “I think as an organization, we all had been saying it for a long time: When he’s out there, he’s going to help our team win and our defense be better. It was obvious (Sunday) what type of player he is.

“You love watching him play. It’s effortless. He has a passion to play. … To see him go out there and produce, to be honest, it’s not shocking at all. … He’s a special player. Now he just has to get better every week.”

The Chargers, at 1-4, are off to their worst start to a season since opening 0-5 and 1-7 in 2003. They have lost 10 straight AFC West games since the end of the 2014 campaign. And now, they host the Broncos, winner of the division five straight years and of 15 straight AFC West road games.

Opinions can change in the NFL.

A team like Kansas City was left for dead around this time last year; it opened 1-5. Then, it rattled off 11 straight wins before a playoff loss in New England. Likewise, some can vilify a player like Bosa for drama related to his contract dispute or the hamstring injury that together postponed his debut until Week 5.

It seems feasible to say Bosa is capable of shifting the conversation around this Chargers team, of being the difference in a game like the one against Denver. The Broncos, after all, allowed six sacks in their loss to the Falcons on Sunday.

“They obviously are going to make some changes,” Bosa said of the Broncos in pass protection. “I’m sure they will be ready for us because we’re going to be ready for them.”